Midsummer's Night
by tami3
Summary: It's really hot out. Akito doesn't have anything better to do than to watch Akira and Kaito fight over him and argue with Agito himself. Surprisingly, stupid bickering in the heat can lead to places. Some shounen ai, swearing, and crack. R


Midsummer's Night

Akira and Kaito were fighting.

Akito warily eyed their new roommate (team member? trailer-buddy?) from a crack in the window shade. Then he picked up one of Kaito's manila folders on delinquent stormriders from the table he was standing next to, because the rotating fan wasn't nearly enough. Neither was the entire trailer being completely in shadow, even with the blinds drawn to keep out the blaring yellow light (Save for a few rays that seeped in through the cracks.) As Akito fanned his perspiring face, he wondered about Akira and his brother.

Akira'd done that thing again, acted as if Akito was five and couldn't take care of himself. And as if he was a separate physical entity from Agito, who certainly could. Akira got along with Kaito, which was surprising enough, but what made it even more amazing that Akira was detail-oriented, with a responsible nature that made him express concern for others around him.

In other words, he was kind of a nag. And Kaito didn't really like things that talked too much.That was a big reason why he hated Agito, who didn't really talk a lot but had a rule about never complying to the words "shut up" if they were said to him.

Well, there were worse things about Agito for Kaito to hate. But it was more interesting for Akito to try to figure out exactly how things worked between Kaito and Akira, especially how the mostly good-humored, sane rider had come to live with them.

Akito had decided he didn't have much to do with it, even though the most logical conclusion was that Kaito wanted another really good air-trekker around to help Agito along. The other star of the G-men was a worthy choice. But usually Kaito had nothing to do with logic; if the hummer was on fire and Kaito didn't feel like getting out, he'd just drive it into the ocean. Simply put, if Kaito didn't want to do something, then no amount of common sense would move him to do otherwise. But then there was Akira.

Akito took a long, hard look at Akira outside. He didn't look like he was with them at all. His hair was cut short and sensibly and he dressed like a jock. He looked normal, in a gym trainer kind of way. Meanwhile Kaito and Akito never listened to what anyone said about hair beads, disco pants, or skirts being strictly for girls. It was a little embarrassing how…stable Akira looked out there, wearing clothes the general populace approved of. At least in contrast to Kaito. Akito's big brother looked halfway flashy with his patterned flairs, and halfway sloppy with his tank and partially clipped hair. Like he'd given up on trying to be either.

There were enough bad things about the Wanajima family without them being slobs on top of it, but fact was fact. Besides their questionable dressing habits, they didn't do laundry much and left litter all around their place. Akito wondered if the only thing that kept Kaito from chewing Akira's face off when he commented on their pigsty was that he had a point. And picked up things for them, from time to time. Did Kaito just want a live-in maid? Was that it?

Fair enough, putting up with the maid's occasional criticism if the cleaning service was free. But Akito always worried that Akira would take it too far. Although admittedly there was something about the young man that kept Kaito from riddling him with bullets, something he did with the rest of humanity, there were some things that were strictly taboo when it came to Kaito.

Like right now, Akira was arguing with Kaito about Akito. Risky thing to do. Stupid. No one else had done it without running away with a mouthful of rubber. The government agents who'd come by to check on them included, no matter how much concern they had about the cage in the corner.

Actually, from what Akito could see, Akira was really complaining about how Kaito was "raising" Akito and Kaito was only doing his best to ignore him. No violence, yet. His back was turned and the angle of his elbow said he was still sucking on his cigarette. Akito could see where sweat had left gray lines on his brother's tank top. They'd been out in that summer heat for a while. Amazing, the tolerance Kaito had for just that one person. Everyone else had been pocked with smoking holes seconds after they'd laid protective hands on Akito's shoulder, as if to take him away. It wasn't something Akito particularly wanted, but it wasn't as if he enjoyed watching Kaito turn their kindly faces into cottage cheese, either.

Kaito sure was skinny, he thought. Next to Akira, who was wearing a close-fitting T-shirt himself, Kaito's waist looked pinched in. Thin and mean, that's what Kaito looked like. Like an animal who was slightly sick and was very cranky about it. Akito wondered if he would be like that in a few years. He hoped not. He wouldn't smoke like Kaito did.

They had gone out just a few minutes ago with Akira taking on a false cheery front about it. He'd said he just going out with Kaito to pick up cigarettes, which wasn't something Akito would be interested in, so he could stay inside where it was cool. Kaito hadn't seemed like he was preparing to go out. He'd been reading the paper, sprawled messily on a chair. At Akira's grin and tug on his shoulder, he'd given a sort of sluggish shrug and slouched out with him with a lazy version of his usual violent expression.

Akito had watched them go out from his seat on the floor, where he had been spacing out with a novel in his lap. He'd nodded, but as soon as they were out the door he'd gotten up to watch them from the window. Akira had forgotten the windows had been flung open to cope with the heat, so anything said outside could easily be heard inside. And with Kaito's temper, it wasn't as if he was going to just leave them alone. Cigarettes. Akira hated Kaito's smoking. He'd never go with him to get them. If worse came to worse, Akito could get Agito to stop them if a fight broke out.

But Akira seemed to be doing all right so far. He'd covered the generalizations, how Akito seemed so small and underfed compared to the rest of the kids his age, how him not going to school was a bad idea, how he needed far more clean clothes and sheets that Kaito provided, etc. And Kaito was still letting him go on.

Then he started getting specific. Weird specific.

Akito. Akito!

Akito tried to ignore Agito. This time of day really belonged to him, but with the heat wave there had been no storm riders lately. At night when it cooled down a little there would be a few brave souls who ventured out into the mugginess, but it was only the darkness giving the false impression that outdoors was bearable. For the majority who weren't fans of the placebo effect and noticed that sweat was still falling off their bodies in sheets, they stayed in. But it any case, with so little to do, the Wanajimas and Akira had taken a little break and Akito had had more time lately to do quiet things like read.

But that made Agito a little stir-crazy. And that drove Akito crazy.

I want to go outside for a while.

No. Wait until night, you're going to have to train with Akira then anyways.

You're just afraid Akira's going to bitch about the "no clothes" thing.

He was, already.

"Kaito, how could you let Akito run out of clothes? He's been sitting around in his underwear. It's not even his underwear."

Kaito gave a noncommittal grunt in answer. Akira kept going like he didn't hear.

"That's another thing. You have to buy him his own stuff that fits. What kid has boxers at that age?"

Akito looked down at himself. He was wearing dark blue boxers. They had been Kaito's, once. He wasn't wearing anything else, because he really had run out of clean clothes two days ago, but it had been so hot he'd thought it wouldn't matter. It wasn't like Kaito wore much else besides a wife beater and slit pants anyways, and now in this heat wave he'd just removed his jacket. And Agito preferred boxers, which saved time when they were switching around. Akito thought boxers were fairly normal for people his age. Of course, Akira had the tendency to pretend Akito had the needs of an eight-year-old.

Besides, if it was anything that could be swapped, he and Kaito'd been swapping it for all their lives. Like sleeping places, towels, and Akito guessed, underwear. It didn't mean anything like neglect, they were just slobs. Both of them.

Now it was the smoking.

"It's the reason why Akito's so small and skinny and weak, I swear. Look at him. He's thirteen and he only weighs eighty pounds! And that stuff you feed him—instant ramen? How's he supposed to run on that? Do you know how much energy A-T's consume? There's nothing but salt in that, if I didn't make sure he drank a lot of water, he would have gotten dehydrated by now."

There was so much wrong with what he was saying, Akito almost cheered his brother's second grunt of indifference, even if was more about being rude than dismissive. For one thing, what did it matter about the smoking? What was Akira's point? Weak and skinny? Akito was, but that was a psychological thing. If his body couldn't handle it from the bad food and second-hand smoke, how was Agito able to all those tricks? And it was AGITO who did all the A-T anyways, and no one in their right minds would fuss over Agito's health and constitution. And, Kaito was the one who was sucking the poison straight into his lungs, and eating that ramen without water to go with it, and no one could accuse him of being frail.

Akito, let's go out the other window if you don't want him to see me riding naked. That way you can avoid Akira's scolding, if you're going to be such a pussy about it.

Knock it off, Agito.

You are too damned thin, I hope you know that.

Well then, so are you.

What the fuck does it matter if I'm thin? I'm 4'7 and I can take out guys two feet taller than me. When you can do that, then you can fucking talk.

But…but…Agito, that doesn't make any sense!

Fuck you.

Akito gave up with Agito. They had fun like this most of the time, actually, but the heat seemed to have them both on edge. Agito had reminded Akito that he was hungry. It wasn't like he was going to starve himself to spite Agito and his argument, which wasn't really an argument in the first place. He wanted to go get a snack. He checked one last time with his roommates outside to make sure that Akira wasn't getting too cocky and that Kaito was still acting abnormally not-blood-thirsty.

Neither Akira nor Kaito seemed to be going anywhere important. Akira was starting to talk about Akito needing "friends" his own age and being allowed out to find them. Kaito was still putting up with him in grumpy silence.

Akira wasn't stupid, so Akito was puzzled. Why was he bothering with all this nonsense? If he was going to talk to Kaito about Akito, weren't the whips, chains, and cages more pressing matters? And who cared about friends? In a sense, Akito was only conscious very early and very late and when Agito was on a time out from the investigators who needed to prove the last storm-rider he'd chased had only met up the law, not a disturbed serial killer. He literally didn't have time for friends.

A little bit annoyed, Akito went into the kitchen area and rummaged through the freezer until he found the box of strawberry cream pops. He didn't remember who had bought it for him—he wasn't really allowed to leave the trailer outside of AT's, so he hadn't picked it out himself. Both Kaito and Akira knew he liked strawberries a lot. Kaito could be nice about these things, so maybe him. But Akira was much nicer about these things, so more likely him. Only he seemed to be worried about putting junk in Akito's body. So maybe they'd even talked it out. It was a weird image, Kaito and Akira walking down the grocery aisles together and deciding together what things they wanted to get, including what they needed for Akito. But Akito supposed they must have done it.

He took one out of the box, but as soon as he did Agito snapped at him.

Akito, don't put that in my body. I'm going to be riding later with Akira. He's been getting better, I'm not falling behind because of some sugary pink crap you made me eat.

But I want it.

Akito thought to himself crossly, I'm not making you eat it. I'm eating it for myself.

Akito thought he had worked out a deal with Agito, where he ate what he wanted when he had control of their body and Agito ate what he wanted to when he was in control. Only Agito never really seemed to be all that interested in food, really. Too preoccupied with A-T's and killing people with them. But Akito always looked the other way when it came to that, so he didn't see why Agito couldn't consider it a fair exchange to let him eat what he wanted when he let Agito destroy what he wanted. Plus there was the blood Agito sometimes swallowed doing the bloody roll. It didn't count as eating but Agito enjoyed the taste. It never bothered Akito, he'd been nice about it and considered it extra protein in his stomach. The least Agito could do was put up with normal food.

It's nothing but sugar and shit. Hey Akito, I mean it! I'm not digesting that while I'm riding. You don't how messed up that makes me feel.

Of course I would know, Akito impatiently growled to himself. I'm the one who used to be the Fang King. The REAL Fang King.

But he would never say anything so mean. And besides, he'd eaten sweet things all the time back when he was still sweating out six cake slices' worth of calories with one training session. So he really didn't know. It was the same body, but maybe Agito did something special to it with his style of riding, which must be a lot more demanding if Akito's had let him have his cake and ride A-T's too.

But he felt too sweaty and hot to argue competently about it, so he just said back:

Shut up, Agito.

He stuck the bar into his mouth, his tongue curling around its blunt top and his teeth sinking very lightly into its pink top, studded red with fruit chunks.

You know why your brother calls you a fag? It's because you go around sucking things that look like cock. Like that Popsicle.

It was actually pretty easy to overlook that one. For one thing, Akito didn't really care if Kaito called him a fag; he'd called everyone that at least once. For another, the ice cream bar didn't even look phallic. It was a slab, shaped like a trowel with the stick as the handle. And Akito was biting it. It was too hot to slurp on it slowly.

Coooocccckkkk.

Akito very deliberately acted as if Agito and his complaints did not exist. He dropped the wrapper in the trash bin and flipped the taps of the sink, pretending to be interested in the sound of the water running. He tilted his head and hummed to the flow of the water as if it had a musical pitch. For a second he worried Kaito would come in and yell at him for wasting water. He meant to keep it on until he was done and Agito wouldn't be able to pester him about it anymore. But he still heard Akira's voice lecturing outside, so he thought he was safe.

But if it was one thing Agito hated, it was being ignored.

I'll throw it up.

That one worked. Akito gagged at the threat. He'd kept his face absently turned down at the little whirlpool centered on the sink's drain, and now he imagined himself projecting a pastel pink spiral into it, complete with red sprinkles of chewed strawberries.

Akito chucked the rest of the ice cream bar into the garbage can in disgust, even though it would make the bottom sticky and the bag hard to change. Kaito would yell about that. Or maybe he wouldn't. The greasy empty ramen cups were still in the living room, so it wasn't like Kaito cared much about cleaning. But Akira always could.

Akito's head pounded as he plodded back into the living room. Agito usually wasn't this bratty. Maybe he was bored and irritable from the heat too.

Agito had only been having fun, like the times he counted how many often he could say "Fuck!" to Kaito's face before he whipped out the pistol and started pumping the trigger. Agito didn't care, he'd just take the hits and then fool around with the Fang after anyways.

He liked games like that. He wanted to see how many shots his legs could take while still being able to execute the tricks perfectly. If Akito complained about being sore later, Agito would just snort and tell him to switch back and let Agito deal with the pain. But Akito never did because it wasn't like he ever got to do much with his own body now that Kaito had Agito working all sorts of hours. Akito at least liked to have nighttime after work to dream, which Agito didn't care about at all.

What Agito did care about, at least what he claimed, was Akito. That was why he knew everything about him. But the bad thing about having an evil twin obsessed with you was that even if he loved you, it was in his nature to be kind of a jerk. And he'd know the best way to do it. Like how he knew Akito wasn't able to deal with vomiting.

Hey, Akito. If you're really hot, go back into the kitchen and get some water. Water's OK.

Akito sighed. He still wasn't over the throwing-up remark and Agito should know it.

I don't want any. I'm fine. Maybe later.

Yeah? But I'm hot. So go and drink the water.

No. I really will throw up.

…Fuck!

Agito did know it was his fault, so he just swore instead of insisting upon it.

Akito wondered if he liked summer. It seemed to make everyone so moody.

Akito, I want to do a run.

You never want to run. You think it's boring.

I want to run with Akira. I'm going to give him a head start. This is boring.

You'll get hot and then I'll get hot. Just talk to me for a while.

Did you just tell me to "talk"?! Fuck! That's it, I'm not asking, I'm just taking your damned body.

Akito patiently pinned down his right arm on the table, stopping it from flipping the eyepatch. After the initial surge of strength, Agito wasn't able to move again, not with the patch neatly in place in Akito's favor.

Just wait until tonight, Agito. Akira's not done with Kaito-nii anyways.

Fuck!

Having successfully fended off Agito to the point that he brooded in tacit annoyance, Akito absently watched Akira finally duck in front of Kaito so he couldn't avoid him anymore. It didn't seem to make much of a difference, Kaito didn't flex a single muscle or say a single word as Akira continued his rant. He just let the smoke float away from his fingers at his lips.

Agito and Akira were friends in a way that Akito and Akira weren't. That too, was kind of strange. When Agito had started talking to Akito he had acted like he didn't care about anyone else and didn't need to acknowledge them. Unless, of course, it benefited Akito. Akito liked Akira in his own way, but it never could get to the point of friends. Akira spoke to Agito like he was an adult when he was around at night, joking about stupid things and then talking seriously about how to take down the latest perp or how to improve a technique.

But when Agito woke up in the morning as Akito, all he got was playful head-rubs and cutesy-voiced questions about what he wanted for breakfast. Akito could respond well enough in the same vein, but was mature enough to recognize envy when he had it. And he had so many forms of it here it would have been plain denial to do otherwise.

Would you stop being a whiny bitch, Akito? You're way more important to me than Akira.

Akito sighed. Well, of course, but…

It's not really that, Agito. It's just…never mind, I'll stop.

It's weird, isn't it?

Akito chewed at his thumbnail. Akira had resorted to actual contact, emphatically putting a hand on Kaito's crossed arms.

What is?

Being the one that's left out.

Akito frowned, speeding up the rate of nibbling. Kaito seemed to have had enough, or forgotten his lighter, or something, because he was trying to shake Akira loose. Maybe he should replace himself on the floor and take up the blank look he'd been left with, to avoid looking like he'd been eavesdropping.

You're not left out. You're not. You know what? If you didn't exist, then I'd kill them both. Not just Kaito. Akira too. I wouldn't be able to stand either of them.

Akito burst out laughing.

I would. I really would.

Agito took his way of cheering him up completely sincerely, and Akito couldn't help loving him for it. That was why he never could see the man-eater psycho shark that everyone else saw in Agito. Because he knew the truth. Agito was just a goofy, bratty kid that happened to like other people around him red and leaky. Was it a healthy way to live? No. But just because someone else around you doesn't live healthily doesn't mean you can't be reasonably amused about it instead of critical.

Akira really needs to learn that, Akito thought. He placed his chin on his palms and gazed out the window to look upon their new housemate, knowing he'd view his ridiculous berating of Kaito-nii with a new fondness.

What he saw, instead, was Akira leaning deeply forward to give his older brother a very insistent and passionate kiss.

WOAH!

What?

Agito, don't you see it?!

Akito snapped their patch onto to the right for him to see it clearly. Agito watched for a second, but became disinterested so quickly he quickly slid it back and turned over the body back to Akito.

Yeah, Akira and Kaito are kissing. So what?

W…what do you mean, so what? They're _kissing!_

Well, that's what you do when you like someone.

But…

For fuck's sake, Akito.

But…

There was a conspicuous lack of Kaito not shooting an entire round into Akira's face. There was a conspicuous lack of Kaito doing anything. Akito and Agito kept watching.

How…how did this happen?

Akira likes him. Don't really understand why, but I didn't let him explain it to me. He's got this weird family complex, which is why he won't shut up about you. Pussy.

But…it's so weird!

Meh. I don't give a fuck.

How can you not?!

Akito went from biting his nails to gnawing on them with the ferocity of a tiger as new anxious ideas developed in his head about how their lives would be like from now on. Things like sleeping positions, work, and "raising" him included. He was taking well into account Kaito's response outside.

Hey Akito.

Not now.

Akito!

What?!

Is it really that weird?

Is what really that weird?

Kissing.

No, it's just…

Because if I had a body of my own, I'd kiss you.

That was probably the only thing that could distract Akito from the very critical event taking place outside.

What?!

You'd let me, wouldn't you? If a hard ass cocky bitch like Kaito would let a pussy like Akira kiss him, you'd let me, right? I like you more than Akira likes Kaito, I bet.

Akito laughed long and hard. In some ways, Agito, the big, scary Fang King was really just a kid.

Yep.

You sure?

Yes. I, Akito, a pussy, would let the hard ass cocky bitch Agito kiss me.

Stop fucking around, Akito.

I'm not. I like you much, much more than Kaito-nii or Akira. Much more than Kaito-nii and Akira like each other.

Akito felt a crazy grin on his face that wasn't entirely his own. Meanwhile they kept their eyes on Kaito and Akira through the window.

Well, Agito relented. That might be a bit hard to beat.

_The intro to Midsummer's Night is really. Really. REALLY hard to play. Screechy, too. (It's orchestral.)_

_Er yeah. Fun stuff, although I actually am more into the canon pairings of Air Gear. Forgive me for any typos, I'm a sloppy typist when I go too fast. Tell me about them so I can fix them. (Thank you to I-chan who did!) R+R_


End file.
